Self-propelled freight-truck.



J. SHEEHAN & G. H. GILMAN.

SELF PROPELLED FREIGHT TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 191a.

Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MU ,ZiLU' fin DRIVE),

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., FHOTOJJTHUH WASHING TON D L J. SHEEHAN & G. H. GILMAN.

SELF PROPELLBD FREIGHT TRUCK.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 2, 1913. 1, 1 1 8,584, Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WITNESSES.

ATT'ORNEY.

NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTOLITHOn WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PA NT. (OFFICE.

JOHN SI-IEEHAN AND GEORGE H. GILiVIAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

SELF-PROPELLED FREIGHT-TRUCK.

Application filed May 2, 1913. Serial No. 765,085.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN SHEEHAN and Gnonon H. GILMAN, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of Buffalo, countyof Erie, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self- Propelled Freight-Trucks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates generally to freight handling devices and more particularly to a truck arranged to be self propelled to any desired point. i y

The principal object of our device has been to provide a truck which may be raised from or lowered into thehold of a vessel, after having been loaded and moved to any desired place in a vessel or warehouse without having to unload the freight and handle it a second time. Moreover, the wheels of our truck are so arranged that they will move, up into the body of the truck when the same is lowered into the hold of a vessel or elsewhere and set upon freight while being loaded or unloaded. Thus the truck presents a flat bottom which will not injure the freight upon which it is set.

Another object has been to provide a de vice which shall be very strong and durable and by which freight may be conveniently and quickly handled with a minimum amount of manual labor. Furthermore, we

have sought to provide a truck which shall be very compact and thus have its top surface very close to the ground level, whereby it may be easily loaded and unloaded.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts, throughout the several views of which: p i

Figure l is a side elevation of our truck. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevationof our device taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4.. Fig. 4. is a top plan view of our device with the floor of the truck removed, Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of our truck taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4:.

In the drawings, 6 represents the casing of our truck which is preferably made of sheet steel properly braced and strengthened by means of the angle irons 7. 8, 8 and 9, 9 are uprights which are securely and firmly attached at their lower ends to the truck casing 6 near each end of the truck. The uprights 8, 8- are placed preferably at and 9, 9. and firmly the corners'of the truck and have provided at their upper ends hooks 10, 10. Braces 11, llextend across between the uprights 8, 8 hold the same together at their upper ends.

-. Our truckis provided with front steering WhGQlSflQ and reardriving wheels 13.v The steering wheels 12 are rotatably mounted upon steering knuckles 14L pivotally carried at the outer ends of the shaft 15. The knuckles 14: are each provided with an outwardly extending arm 16 which are connected together by means of the rod 17, whereby they are operated'in unison. The outer end of each "of the arms 16 has secured thereto:

whee121; The said steering wheel is located at some convenient point and is secured preferably to the uprights 9, 9 atthe operating end of the truck. 3 The shaft 15 is carried at the outer ends of arms 22, pivotally secured at their inner ends to a shaft 23 suitably carried by the frame work of the truck, whereby the shaft 15 may be vertically moved. Thus the steering :wheels 12 maybe allowed to project through the slots EZ-i provided in the bottom of the casing 6 or may be raised up within the casing so as I to be flush with the bottom thereof.

.The driving wheels 13, 13 are rigidly mounted on a shaft 25 which is carried at the outer ends of the arms 26, pivotally secured to theshaft 27, supported in any suitable way by the frame work of the truck. Slots 28 are. provided through the bottom of the casing v 6 through which the wheels 18 may project when in their operating position. WVhen not in use, these. wheels may be swung up within the casing so as to be flush with the bottom surface thereof.

29 is a jack-shaft which is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by the carried by each of the wheels 13 with sprocket wheelscarried by the ack-shaft 29. In order toprevent the wheels 12 and 13 of our device from moving up within the casing when it is desired to move the truck about, we provide blocks 32 which are slidably disposed, preferably upon the angle irons 33 and which are arranged to be moved to a point of engagement with the outer ends of the arms 22 and 26. Pivotally carried near the center of the truck is a double ended lever 34 and one of the blocks 32 isconnected to each end ofthis' lever by means of rods 35. The rod .36 connects one I end of the lever 34 with a crank 37, mounted upon a shaft 38 and rotated by the operating lever 39. Thus when the crank 37 is operated, the double ended lever 34 will also be operated and either move the blocks 32 away from or toward each other. 40 are stops Which are secured to the bottom of the easing 6 and which prevent the downward movement of the arms 22 and 26 and the wheels 12 and 13 beyond a predetermined point.

Arranged on y the driving shaft 25 is a brake 41 and secured to the lever of the brake is an operating cable 42. This cable passes over suitable idlers 43 and 44 and has its outer end secured to the brake lever 45.

Within the casing of our device is carried a storage battery represented by the numeral 46.v A suitable controller for the motor 30 is also rovided (not shown) the operating lever 4 of which extends from the front of the truck and is preferably detachably secured to the controller so that the same may be takenoff when the truck is being raised or lowered. 7

Our device operates as follows: When it is desired, for instance, to unload freight from a vessel, the hooks 10 carried by the uprightsS at the corners of the truck are coupled onto suitable hoisting means and the lever 39 operated so as to throw the blocks 32 out of engagement with the arms 22 and 2,6. The truck is thenlowered in the hold of the vessel and allowed to rest upon the freight, whereby, when the wheels 12 and 13' come, in contact with the freight on which the truck rests they will be pushed up inside of the casing and thus the truck will not tend to injure or be injured by the freight. After the truck has been loaded with freight the same is again hoisted from the hold of the vessel and before being lowered to the dock or freight house floor, the lever 39- is again operated so as to bring the blocks 32 into engagement with the arms 22 and 26, so that, when the loaded truck is lowered, it will rest upon the wheels. The hoisting means are now uncoupled and the operator places his feet in the apertures 48 provided in the front of the casing. He then moves the controller lever 47, thus applying power to the truck, so that by means of the steering wheel 21, it may be guided to the desired point where it is unloaded.

Obviously, many modifications of the details herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention or the scope of the appended claims, and we do not wish to be limited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A truck comprising a chambered platform having a fiat top and a flat slotted bottom, driving and steering wheels mounted to vertically move through the slots of said bottom and within said platform, and means for locking said wheels in a position to support and carry said truck.

2. A truck comprising a chambered platform having a flat top and a flat slotted bottom, driving wheels, motive power means connected with said driving wheels, steering wheels, means connected with said steering wheels for guiding the same, said driving and steering wheels being mounted to move vertically through the slots of said bottom and within said platform, and means for locking said wheels in a position to support and carry said truck.

7 3. A truck comprising a chambered platform having a fiat top and a flat slotted bottom, two pairs of arms pivotally carried within the chamber of said platform, a pair of steering wheels carried by one pair of said arms and a pair of driving wheels carried by the other pair of said arms, whereby said wheels may vertically move through the slots of said bottom and within said platform, and means for locking said .wheels in a position to support and carry said truck.

4. A truck comprising a chambered platform, two pairs of arms pivotally carried within the chamber of said platform, a pair of steering wheels carried by one pair of said arms and a pair of driving wheels carried by the other pair of said arms, whereby said wheels may vertically move within said platform, blocks slidably carried within said platform and engageable with the outer ends of said arms for lockmg said wheels 111 a positlon to support and carry said truck.

5. A truck comprising a chambered platform, two pairs of arms pivotally carried within the chamber of said platform, a pair of steering wheels carried by one pair of said arms and a pair of driving wheels carried by the other pair of said arms, whereby said wheels may vertically move within said platform, blocks slidably carried within said platform and means for moving said blocks, said blocks being engageable with the outer ends of said arm for locking said wheels in a position to support and carry said truck.

6. A truck comprising a chambered platform, two-pairs of arms pivotally carried within the chamber of said platform, a pair of steering Wheels carried by one pair of said arms and a pair of driving Wheels carried by the other pair of said arms, whereby said wheels may vertically move Within said platform, blocks slidably carried within said platformand engageable with the outer ends of said arms and means for moving said blocks comprising a double ended lever centrally, pivotally mounted within said chambered latform, rods connecting one of the ends of said lever to each of said blocks and means for oscillating said lever, whereby said wheels may be locked in a position to support and carry said truck.

7. A truck comprising a chambered platform, uprights near each corner of said platform, means for securing hoisting cables to the upper ends of said uprights, two pairs of arms pivotally carried within the chamber of said platform, a pair of driving wheels carriedby one pair of said'iarms and a pair of steering wheels carried by the other pair of arms and blocks slidably carried within said platformand engageable with the outer ends of said arms, whereby said Wheels may move verticallywithin said platform and be locked in a position to support and carry said truck.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in thepresence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ,si'nznimla. GEORGE H. GILMAN. Witnesses:

J. WM. ELLIS, WALTER H. KELLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

' Washington, D. 0. i 

